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Melodic House is a catch-all term and genre for any club music where musicality is the driving force behind the record. This massive umbrella definition, coupled with the genre’s fast-rising popularity, has meant that a seemingly infinite number of tracks with this genre tagging are uploaded on Spotify and released on Beatport every single day, which is a whole lot of noise to cut through if both for producers trying to get heard and for fans trying to find something they haven’t heard before.
Few producers really nail the genre well, and Colorize’s L.GU is one of the few that knock it out of the park. With melodies that tell a complete story from start to finish, atmospheres that feel four-dimensional, and maturity in sound that only comes after you’ve done your time behind your DAW, L.GU has done what few producers these days can…
He writes music that stays with you after the records are finished. His latest release, out now on Colorize, is exactly what I’m talking about here, and it’s high time we figure out what makes this man and his music tick. So we invited him on to explain how ‘Lost’ was made, and he overdelivered on the melodic sauce. So listen to the track below a few times to acclimate yourself to what it sounds like, and then dive into what’s going on underneath the hood of this amazing record.
DIVA
This plugin is probably the most used VST in the Melodic House & Techno / Progressive House scene. It’s perfect for any instrument; for example, I love using it for my Bass, Lead, and often even for Pads. I particularly love its warm and ‘analog’ sound, as well as the ease of use it offers (although you can really delve much deeper into detail with this magnificent tool).
For this EP, particularly for the track ‘Lost,’ it was truly used for almost all the sounds you hear. Often my go-to presets are from Audiotent and Mojulate (I literally love everything they do, from presets to sample packs). However, a special mention for this track goes to the Audiotent preset I used for my bass, ‘Synergy,’ and for the lead sound, which comes from Mojulate’s ‘Ubersquare.’ Lastly, the sound you hear in the build-up leading to the main drop (the main sound of the track) comes from a preset by my great friend and incredibly talented producer LAR, namely ‘Motion II, Riser 2.’ I really had fun using it!
I believe this plugin is incredible for how good it sounds in almost any context, without needing to be heavily processed with external plugins. I especially love the LFOs in this plugin; they sound really good, and you can really get creative with them (as you can hear in the riser during the build-up to the second drop). The Trimmers section, on the other hand, really helps to make every sound truly unique; I encourage you to experiment with it!
DECAPITATOR
This is a very useful plugin (saturation/distortion) that, through the use of 5 different algorithms, adds harmonics to your sounds, making them warmer or more ‘aggressive,’ so they fit better into your mixes!
There isn’t a track I make where I don’t use this magnificent plugin. I especially adore it on bass (where I recommend using the ‘MidDriver’ preset around 15-20% in the mix – also, the ‘Beefy’ preset is fantastic on bass) and on leads, where I often enjoy experimenting with different drive positions and styles available in the plugin.
The great thing about this plugin is that besides being very effective at ‘boosting’ certain sounds, it can also be really useful from a creative standpoint. Often, ‘destroying’ certain sounds with distortion opens up new ways of seeing the track you’re working on! (Try it also in parallel on a send channel; you never know what might happen.
SHAPERBOX 3
I see ShaperBox 3 as a versatile multi-effects toolbox, with a user-friendly interface that combines nine really cool effects. Additionally, modulating these effects is quite easy with its intriguing interface!
I really enjoy using this plugin to “bring to life” some sounds that feel too static, such as arpeggios and pads. I particularly love the “Gated Sequence” preset (which I used on one of the main pads in this track)!
I highly recommend using this plugin because it can truly help find that “unique” and “different” sound that is so sought after in today’s music. With this plugin, the possibilities are endless! It was actually using this preset on the pad that inspired Lost!
VALHALLA DELAY
As the name clearly suggests, this is a beautiful delay. This plugin incorporates 7 different algorithms, ranging from analog emulations to modern and unusual sounds, for minimal or, conversely, more prominent and invasive delays.
This is one of my go-to plugins for every project. I enjoy experimenting with the various presets, and often I start intending to use it as a simple delay but end up using it as a reverb! I must say, as simple as it is, the Dotted8thNoteSynth preset sounds really good. I often have fun automating the delay time and spread with this plugin; you’ll be amazed at how many “happy accidents” occur!
Don’t just use this plugin as a simple delay; there are indeed a ton of factory presets, many for creating FX, reverbs, shimmers, and much more!
TIPS FOR MAKING MELODIC HOUSE
TIP #1: SIDECHAIN YOUR PARALLEL EFFECTS
I assure you, using the Crystallizer in parallel with the sidechain on the original sound often works like magic!
TIP #2: AVOID SPLICE!
Don’t just use any vocal sample you find on Splice for your track. Nowadays, to stand out from the sea of music being released every day, you really need to sound unique. Try to be creative with those vocals instead of simply dropping them into the project!
TIP #3: START MASTERING EARLY
Use this preset (Faster Master O) from the beginning on your master chain (even at 30-40%). Hearing a sort of master on your track right from the start can help you visualize it better!
TIP #4: PLAYBOX IS A GREAT TOOL FOR INSPIRATION
This plugin (Playbox) can be really helpful for finding inspiration when you open a new project!
TIP #5: CHECK OUT STEPHEN PRESSFIELD
It’s not strictly related to a plugin, but reading Steven Pressfield’s book ‘The War of Art’ can really help change your mindset when it comes to music and creativity!
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
